


His World

by LittleLinor



Category: Cardfight!! Vanguard
Genre: (or the aunt in this case), Implied/Referenced Abuse, M/M, Meeting the Parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-21
Updated: 2018-11-21
Packaged: 2019-08-27 08:33:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16699015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleLinor/pseuds/LittleLinor
Summary: Mikuru justhadto meet this tall and mysterious boyfriend.





	His World

**Author's Note:**

  * For [o0whitelily0o](https://archiveofourown.org/users/o0whitelily0o/gifts).



> OH LOOK, A FIC THAT'S NOT A REPOST
> 
> (Listen, I HAVE been writing too. And working on Pinion. It's Imminent)

In a way, Mikuru had always known. Chrono had an incredible capacity for love, but he was also extremely direct and pragmatic, and didn't like to play games with people, or to be hit with half-truths or insinuations. So it came to reason that he would never play the teenage flirting game, never get involved in the social playground of middle and high school dating. That his first relationship, even if it wasn't his last in the end, would be something he approached from a place of already solidified feelings, something he would have already examined and planned for, carving a place for it in his life. That for him, there would be no in-between.  
She knew, and yet, the day he asked to talk to her 'about something important', blushing slightly and unusually avoidant in his gaze, she felt her heart stop a little. With everything else that had been going on in his life, she hadn't thought now would be the time that part of his life decided to take front stage. And so she hadn't prepared for it.  
Now she felt a little silly. She was too young to feel nostalgic about her nephew-son growing up or finding love! It hadn't been _that_ long ago for her, and besides, it was a positive thing!  
But having a crisis on her own wasn't going to solve the problem, or give some solace to her poor nervous nephew, so she just smiled and asked if they should sit down for it.  
“… this is fine,” Chrono muttered, before taking a deep breath and looking her in the eye. “Mikuru… I have a boyfriend.”  
Well. A boyfriend wasn't what she'd expected, but it wasn't surprising either. She'd never seen him act silly around girls; maybe boys were more his thing, or maybe he treated both with the same slow and steady growth of feelings, without the first stage of giggly crushes.  
She smiled, before he could make himself even more nervous.  
“Well, that's good news, isn't it? Do I know him?”  
“Not really—I don't think so. His name is Kazumi Onimaru.”  
“Hmm… I'm sure I've heard the name before…” A _Kazuma_ she did know, but… “Oh! Wasn't he the reigning champion in that tournament you were doing last year?” His eyes widened, and she grinned. “I _do_ keep tabs on you, you know. You need to talk about your life more.”  
“S-sorry… I've been forgetting, huh?”  
She took a step forward to ruffle his hair. Ah, whatever would she do if he ever suddenly had a growth spurt like her brother had and ended up taller than her?  
“Old habits die hard, huh? Well, you're talking now so that's what's important.”  
“Yeah… um…”  
“So, what's this Kazumi like?”  
“… he plays Nubatama?” He winced. “I'm not good at this—he's Kazuma's half-brother actually. He's tall and elegant and he looks all calm and collected like Shion but inside he's really kind and he gets excited easily… it's really cute honestly—wait, forget I said that,” he blurted, looking away again.  
She laughed quietly. It was nice seeing him open up, for a change. Maybe romance really would do him good.  
“… I could write a whole page about why he's sweet and deserves the world but it's kinda hard to just answer 'what's he like', you know?” he sighed.  
“I think I understand.” Already, the fact that he would choose those words to talk about him said a lot. “So, when do I get to meet this Kazumi? If you can't describe him, I'll just have to make my own opinion.”  
Where some would have been nervous, Chrono instantly smiled.  
“Yeah, that's what I came to ask, actually…”  
Oh, this really was a promising start. And she meant that without a drop of irony to it.

The meeting was scheduled some two weeks later. Kazumi, it seemed, had a busy timetable too, although Chrono didn't expand on that, so it took a little back and forth with Chrono squinting at his phone screen and the tables on it to find an evening that they both had free. In truth, Mikuru had considered having a dinner with some coworkers on that day, but Chrono came first. He already didn't come first often enough; she wasn't about to miss her chance to meet his boyfriend.  
She wasn't at all surprised when he insisted on cooking.  
“Showing off your skills, huh?” she teased.  
“No! I'll just feel bad if you're the one cooking when I'm the one who invited him! And besides, I've cooked for him before,” he admitted.  
“Oh~?” This relationship really was going well, then. “And I did ask when I could meet him, remember?”  
“I… I know, I just…”  
He deflated a little, looking at a loss. She decided to drop it; if being in charge of the evening made him feel more in control and less nervous, she wasn't about to take that away from him.  
“It's fine. I do enjoy your cooking a lot; I'm sure he'll be delighted too.”  
He sighed in relief.  
“Can I make a request, though?” she asked.  
“Yeah?”  
“Can we have curry? I love your curry and I haven't tasted it in ages.”  
He grinned.  
“I can do that.”

On the day of The Dinner, Mikuru left work a little earlier than usual.  
Not because she wanted to get there early—Chrono was likely busying himself preparing everything to ease his own nervousness, and barging into that would likely throw him off-balance—but so she could make _sure_ that she wouldn't be late. And a good idea it was: traffic was dense enough that she got home only ten minutes before the time she had announced, so she only had to wait five minutes in her car, answering her work emails for the next day, before taking the elevator and showing up at the door a mere two minutes before time.  
By then, Chrono already had everything ready, save for the curry that was still simmering away on low heat, sending delicious waves of spicy scents through the appartment.  
“Mmm~ that smells good.”  
“Oh! Mikuru!”  
He had already changed into some fresh clothes, his apron hanging in the kitchen. His face was a little red, from the heat, or excitement, or both. He was definitely restless, but still gave her a smile as she waved and took off her shoes.  
He had grown up so much, and bloomed, and although she felt like she hadn't contributed to it enough, she was happy to see it.  
“Should I get changed too?” she asked him with a wink.  
“I-if you want. It's up to you—look, I'm really out of my depth here.”  
She laughed.  
“What are you going to do when you meet _his_ parents?”  
He darkened suddenly.  
“Hopefully _that_ won't happen any time soon,” he muttered.  
That was unexpected. Chrono wasn't the kind of run away or hide when it came to things and people that mattered to him; if his boyfriend's parents disapproved of him, he would meet them head on if he had to. He really wouldn't be the one to encourage a secret relationship, either.  
So then why? Had they done something to make him dislike them? It was true that he might struggle to keep his calm if they were being hurtful to Kazumi himself.  
“Well,” she said gently, trying to cheer him up, “I'm excited to meet _him_. I think I'll go change, these clothes don't really make for a cozy dinner atmosphere.”  
He smiled, tentatively.  
“Thanks, Mikuru.”

She changed from her work clothes into a more comfortable skirt and a cosy-but-elegant turtleneck, then completed the outfit with a necklace Chrono had given her for her birthday the previous year. It had been the first real thing he bought with his part time job's salary, and she'd wavered between touched at the attention and upset at the possibility that he still saw her raising him as something that needed to be paid back. But the best way to show him her appreciation was to wear it, and besides, if the Mysterious Kazumi complimented her on it, it would be her chance to boast about Chrono to him. This boyfriend did sound sweet already, but she wanted to make _sure_ he knew exactly how lucky he was to be dating her nephew. Chrono really wasn't the best at advertising his best points, and his generosity and taste were only scraping the surface.  
When she came out of her room, Chrono was nervously looking at his phone.  
“Any news?”  
“Oh—I'm just checking the time.”  
“He'll be fine, Chrono. Relax.” She took a seat at the table to wait without getting in his way. “So, when you said 'tall', how tall are we speaking?”  
“… like almost a head taller?” he said, flustering a little.  
“Taller than Shion? Oh, my…”  
“It's not like I did it on purpose! I'm just surrounded by giants! Even _Taiyou_ 's gonna catch up with me by next year, probably.”  
She laughed.  
“At least Kazuma and Tokoha have Short Solidarity,” he sighed.  
“I'm sorry you didn't get our genes.”  
“It's fine. It's just… people look at us weird sometimes. I'm not _that_ much younger than him, he just _looks_ really adult.”  
Ah, so he _was_ older. She was slowly starting to piece together a picture of this boyfriend, although he would no doubt shatter it when he would finally actually come in.  
“Don't pay them any mind. I just hope you don't hurt your neck,” she added with a grin.  
“M- _Mikuru!_ ”  
He was saved from her teasing by the doorbell ringing, and promptly escaped to go unlock the main entrance.  
“Yeah, I'll leave the door open,” he told the intercom. “See you in a minute.”

A minute later, a knock came from the already open door, and Chrono hurried to welcome his boyfriend as he walked into the appartment.  
As soon as he came into view, Mikuru knew two things about Kazumi. One: he was rich. His choice of clothes wasn't unusually fancy, but she had been navigating the world of subtle clothing statements for long enough to tell the brand and quality of his jacket and shoes: it was an understated but still expensive selection. Two: he really didn't want people to pick up on it.  
Her impression was confirmed when he bowed, lower than he would have needed to, yet without a trace of irony or false politeness: this was a young man who held her in high respect and genuinely wanted to make a good impression. And for him to care in that way, he must likewise hold Chrono in high esteem. That, really, made more of an impression on her than any politeness could.  
“Miss Shindou, thank you for your invitation,” he said, straightening with a practiced professional smile that still held some candid warmth beneath it.  
“Mikuru is fine… Kazumi, was it? And it's no trouble at all; Chrono is the one who did everything, anyway.”  
His chest bubbled with silent laughter.  
“I'm not surprised. Please forgive me for being late…”  
“You're _two_ minutes late, Kazumi,” Chrono sighed, hanging his scarf. “What happened, anyway? You're usually early.”  
“Ah… I… I lost my way in the subway,” he admitted.  
Chrono grinned.  
“I should have known. Anyway, come on in.”  
Kazumi nodded.  
“If you'll excuse me…”  
He took his shoes off and set them down neatly, then followed Chrono into the living room proper.

He had brought a small but elegant gift wrapped, she noticed, in Chrono's favourite colours. As she set it aside, Chrono babbled something about checking on his curry and hid in the partially enclosed space of the kitchen. The look she caught on Kazumi's face told her he found it as endearing as she did.  
Well, if he was going to leave them alone together, she might as well get the formalities over with. And besides, she did want to learn more about this Kazumi.  
“So what do you do, Kazumi, aside from Vanguard?” She grinned. “Chrono does have a one-track mind, sometimes.”  
If she thought Kazumi was amused, his face barely betrayed anything. If this was what he was like when he clearly was acting more relaxed than usual, how guarded was he normally?  
“I'm studying in University for now… this is my first year. I hear you lead your own company? That's an impressive feat.”  
'For now' gave her pause, but it was too early to ask. She decided to move on.  
“I do. I can't say I chose the easiest solution to my situation at the time, but it made sense to me back then. I don't regret it though; it's validating, although the hours are heavy.”  
“You must be dedicated. I see where Chrono picked up that trait.”  
Again, words that could have been empty flattery, but there was something to the way he said it that spoke of earnest admiration. She would _really_ have to grill Chrono on the situation more later.  
“Oh, I think he's always been like that. I shouldn't take credit for it.”  
From the kitchen, Chrono shot her a look that was halfway between offended and panicked. But he had brought it upon himself by running away and leaving them with free rein to compliment him all they liked.  
“He's very reliable,” Kazumi said, nodding wisely.  
“I see you've had a chance to experience it,” she teased.  
“Ah—yes—I—”  
“Do you guys want anything to drink?”  
Chrono was all but glaring at her, finally out of his kitchen. She smiled.  
“I think tea would be great. Don't you think, Kazumi?”  
He smiled, visibly thankful she'd dropped the topic.  
“Yes, that would be great, thank you.”

They finally sat when Chrono brought the tea. Kazumi, as she suspected, had refined manerisms, especially when it came to things like this; unconsciously, he held himself straight and held his cup carefully and elegantly, like someone who had been trained so early and thoroughly that the behaviour stayed imprinted in his muscle memory, coming to the surface without a conscious thought. Not just rich, then, but from a family that cared about appearances even in young children. And yet there wasn't a trace of haughtiness in him, although she guessed he could fake it if he wanted. Here, at least, he was not just polite but almost _humble_ , his easy grace just putting his interlocutors at ease instead of calling attention to him. And his admiration of Chrono wasn't just flattery: he was hanging on his lips whenever Chrono said anything. There had been something there, she decided, that cemented Kazumi's loyalty for him. She wondered if Chrono was aware.  
Well, he would figure it out eventually.  
Having mercy on her nephew, Mikuru switched the topic to Vanguard, and asked about the tournament scene. Kazumi wasn't joining anything major this year, as one of his former teammates had died and he couldn't quite find it in himself to join a new team yet. Chrono and Kazuma did offer to team up, he said after she offered her condolences, but he was satisfied with cheering, for now; not having to worry about results was refreshing. And besides, he had many people to play with casually now.  
Quickly, as Chrono tried to participate, the topic shifted to Kazuma's newly updated deck. They tried to give her the keys to understanding the conversation, explaining the aggressive, high-risk high-reward nature of Kazuma's clan, which she found amusing coming from the generally private and cautious boy. Putting himself in a difficult position on his own despite a desire to stay safe; it was a trait many of the people she found around her nephew shared. But the deck was clearly working for him, since he, Chrono and Kumi were doing well; maybe that was a sign of growth.  
Finally, Chrono declared that the food should be ready, and went to get it from the kitchen, shooting Kazumi a stern look that Mikuru didn't miss.  
As she had expected, Chrono had made an entire assortment of dishes, although the requested curry did take the center spot. She was surprised to find croquettes among them: Chrono didn't often fry food, partly because it was unhealthy and he ate enough of it when he ate out with his friends, and partly because he found the smell too hard to get out of everything.  
Kazumi, however answered her question by brightening at the sight.  
“I tried, but I'm still not on Nishi Bakery's level,” Chrono sighed, putting the plate down on the table. “Tokoha would probably complain.”  
“They started the croquette buns over ten years ago,” Kazumi said. “You're competing against people who had hundreds of tries to perfect their recipe.”  
“Yeah but if they already did the research I should be able to look into the results and catch up faster!” He started distributing the rice. “And how do you know that, anyway?”  
“Ah, I went to buy some for Kazuma last time… He didn't say it out loud, but he really liked them when Kumi and Tokoha invited you two. I took the time to chat with the owner, he was tired after all the rush.” He chuckled lightly. “I was lucky to get the last one…”  
“Kazuma likes them?” He sighed. “I swear, it'd be easier if he _said_ things.”  
“You could make some next time we're together and pretend it was for me,” Kazumi said brightly.  
Chrono snorted, smiling.  
“Well, it _would_ be for you. But there's no reason it can't be for both.”  
“I've never had croquettes with curry before,” Mikuru muses, dipping one of them in the sauce.  
“Tokoha has,” Chrono says. “She says it's the best topping on _everything_. I'm sure she'd put them on okonomiyaki if they were available.”  
“These are delicious, Chrono,” Kazumi said, taking a first bite. “And the potato and breading do complement the sauce well. Maybe she's on to something.”  
“Tell her to introduce the concept in France or something. I'm sure someone there will pick up the idea and do something with it.” He helped himself too and bit into one croquette, then dipped it in and bit into it again. “… I'll get there someday.”  
Kazumi smiled.  
“Don't force yourself if you don't usually make them.”  
“Maybe I want to make something you guys like, have you thought about that?”  
“I already like what you make. You can honestly compete with professional cooks.”  
Chrono trailed off before he could answer, then looked away, cheeks heated.  
“… thanks.”

Gradually, Mikuru tried her best to ease herself out of the conversation somewhat so she could observe them. Kazumi, she thought, probably noticed: he started focusing on Chrono more when she did, facing him more. Chrono, on the other hand, seemed to relax a little, finally, and she was happy to see smiles and enthusiasm gradually return to his face.  
They looked… sweet. There was an easy friendship and trust that might have been surprising from two people so different from each other, and they clearly had much to talk about without even touching on the romance (which almost would have been invisible had she not known ahead of time; Kazumi really was trying his best to be proper in front of her). It was… good news. Seeing Chrono open his world and possibilities like that, seeing him draw more and more people into his orbit was good news. From circumstancial and then self-imposed isolation, he was growing into the bright center of a space where people naturally gathered, and his already gentle heart grew warmer and warmer with every meeting. It was, she thought, how he was actually meant to be.  
Chrono, unusually but perhaps not surprisingly, had made dessert, black sesame pudding that he had decorated with slices of fresh fruit. A mature taste to the sweetness and some added vitamins; it was so Chrono that she could have laughed. But the taste, again, was no laughing matter. Maybe she should ask him to make them again later.  
When they were done, she offered coffee, and this time stared Chrono down so he wouldn't get up. She wanted to at least keep _some_ of her place as the adult of the house! He accepted with minimal grumbling and then a smile, and a few minutes later they were all chatting over coffee.  
Really, it had been worth cancelling her tentative plans for this. The opportunity to meet Kazumi aside, it really had been a nice evening.

“I should probably get going,” Kazumi sighed a while later.  
“Are you sure? We'd be happy to have you over longer.”  
He smiled at her.  
“Thank you… It would be my pleasure, but I do have an assignment to finish…”  
“That's a shame. We'll have to do this another time, then.”  
His face didn't change, but his eyes softened with gratitude.  
“I will be looking forward to it, then. Maybe this time you'll let me treat you with cake?” he added, with a small smile in Chrono's direction.  
“F-fine.” He smiled back. “Just give me a minute, then, I'll walk you out.”  
Kazumi said his goodbyes while Chrono went to get himself a slightly warmer jacket.  
“It was a pleasure to meet you, Mikuru. I'm grateful to have met Chrono's family. He speaks highly of you.”  
She smiled, and tried to communicate as much warmth as she could.  
“The pleasure was mine. You're welcome to come back whenever you want, you hear? Don't worry about being proper. We'll happily welcome you.”  
“… thank you,” he said, a little too quiet to be properly neutral.  
“He really cares about you, and I can see why. So don't hesitate. Our door is always open.” She grinned. “And besides, you've seen how excited he gets about being a good host.”  
“I definitely have,” he said with a hint of a laugh. “Thank you.”  
“You ready?” Chrono asked, coming back to the entrance and getting his shoes on.  
Kazumi bowed.  
“Well, then… I'll see you next time.”

They left together and she didn't pry, instead sitting with a second coffee and smiling at the 'see, I told you it'd go fine' that echoed in the hall before they took the elevator.  
A few minutes later, Chrono came back in, blushing slightly as he removed his shoes and shrugged off his jacket.  
“He's a charming young man,” Mikuru said, offering him a second cup too. “Very self-conscious about his social status, too.”  
Chrono winced.  
“Yeah… he's not Shion.”  
“His family doesn't seem to be a good place to call home,” she said quietly, not wanting to push the subject too much.  
“… yeah.” His face was dark, and something like anger flitted under the surface. “He moved out recently, but… it's a long story.”  
She stood again, and walked around the table to ruffle his hair.  
“Remember to take care of _yourself_ too, hmm?”  
Warmth came back to his face. He chuckled a little and looked up at her.  
“Oh, don't worry. He won't let me forget either.”

**Author's Note:**

> Mikuru + Kazumi make a cute combo actually, they play off each other well.
> 
> Also I didn't use honorifics in this but you can bet Kazumi uses "Mikuru-san" like Chrono does now


End file.
